Jim Kennedy’s Car Collection

This vehicle was produced on January 14, 1980 and was shipped by Mercedes Benz to New York (actually, Newark, NJ). It was transported to Smith Motor Sales in Haverhill, MA, at that time the Mercedes Benz distributor for the New England region, and then delivered to Nichols Pontiac, the Mercedes Benz dealer in Augusta, ME, the state capital.

The vehicle had been ordered by Robert “Bob” Bahre, a well-known businessman, developer and auto enthusiast. Among his other activities, Bahre developed the Oxford (ME) Plains Speedway and the New Hampshire International Speedway. He also amassed a 60-car collection, of which this Mercedes was a part. Bahre would open the collection once a year for a charity event. Otherwise, the vehicles were professionally maintained and lightly driven. After Bahre’s death in 2020, a number of his vehicles—including this one—were offered for sale.

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I purchased the car in February 2021 from Daniel Schmitt & Co. in St. Louis, MO. Schmitt had acquired the car at auction in Fall 2020. At that time, the Mercedes had less than 23,000 original miles and included original documentation, including the window sticker, operators manual and warranty book, and data plate. A personal bonus benefit was that Smith Motor Sales, which had distributed the 450SL, is located in my hometown. During my high school and college years, I would slow roll past the dealership and lust after the luxury on the lot; it’s possible this convertible might have been one of the actual objects of my affections. After five and a half years cruising the California coast, the Mercedes moved on with a different driver to new roads nestled among the Great Smoky Mountains in 2026.